Bette Midler
Bette Midler (born December 1, 1945) is an American actress, comedienne and singer, whose song "Only in Miami" appeared in the episode "Brother's Keeper" of the show Miami Vice, sung by a house band. Early career Midler was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, named for Bette Davis, though she pronounces her first name in one syllable vs. two for Davis. In 1965 Midler moved to New York City, and began performing in off-Broadway plays before landing a role in Fiddler on the Roof from 1966-69. In 1970 she began playing at the Continental Baths, a gay bathhouse, with her pianist, Barry Manilow, who later produced her debut album, The Divine Miss M. The next year Midler appeared in the first professional performance of The Who's rock opera Tommy, which led to an appearance on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show and that appearance jump-started her career. 1973-1980 Midler released her debut album Divine Miss M in 1972 (and gave her the nickname she's most famous for) and had instant success, reaching the Billboard Top 10 with a remake of the standard Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, then released her second album, Bette Midler, in 1973 and became her second Top 10 album. Her other two albums in the 1970s failed to match the success of her first two. In 1979 she appeared in The Rose and the movie and soundtrack albums were successful, but her disco album, Thighs and Whispers was a sales failure. 1981-1990 After The Rose Midler appeared in the 1981 movie Jinxed!, which lived up to its' name, as the film was a flop and Midler's career went into a decline as another album in 1983 (No Frills, which featured "Only in Miami") did not do well and her movie career was stalled. In 1985 she appeared on the We Are The World single, and performed at Live Aid, then her movie career took off again with her role in Down and Out in Beverly Hills (with Little Richard, followed by appearances in Ruthless People, Outrageous Fortune (with Anthony Heald), Big Business (with J.C. Quinn), and Beaches (with John Heard), which featured her hit soundtrack and #1 Grammy Award single, "Wind Beneath My Wings", followed by another #1 hit, "From A Distance", which got Midler her third Grammy. 1991-2000 Midler spent the 1990s mainly in the movies, appearing as a voice actor in Oliver & Company, then an Oscar-nominated appearance in For The Boys, followed by Stella, Hocus Pocus, and The First Wives Club. She received her second Emmy in 1992 for her serenade of departing Tonight Show host Johnny Carson, then her third Emmy for an appearance on HBO's Diva Las Vegas, and guested on the sitcom The Nanny. In 2000 Midler had a 13-episode run on CBS' Bette, which was cancelled in 2001 due to low ratings. Recent Midler has appeared on American Idol and My Life on the D-List with fellow comedienne Kathy Griffin; her most recent album was 2010's Memories of You, and her recent film appearances include The Stepford Wives and Parental Guidance. In 2013 Midler returned to Broadway for the first time in 30 years, and appeared in the LGBT film Freak Show (with Larry Pine), later returning to Broadway as the title character in Hello, Dolly!. Awards/Personal Life Midler has received three of the four (Emmy, Tony, Grammy) awards that Philip Michael Thomas referred to as an EGOT. She has received three Emmys, two Grammys, and one Tony, along with two Oscar nominations (for The Rose and for For The Boys). Midler married Martin Von Halsenberg in 1984, reportedly after a six-week courtship. In 1986 Midler gave birth to their daughter, Sophie. Category:Music performers Category:Emmy winning actors Category:Academy Award nominated actors